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Halo 5: Guardians
"The quest of the hunter and the hunted has begun." : - Halo 5 Guardians' tagline ''Halo 5 Guardians ''is a first person shooter science fiction video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox One. It is the second game of the Reclaimer Saga, and the sequel to Halo 4. Halo 5 Guardians was released on October 27, 2015. Halo 5 ''managed to topple ''Halo 4's sales record, making $400 million dollars within the first week of launch. It contains almost all of the content found in previous games, save Firefight, which is present, but different from its predecessor. Story Plot The campaign of Halo 5 Guardians ''differs from ''Halo 4 ''and other ''Halo ''games in its delivery. Unlike ''Halo 4, the campaign is far shorter despite having more levels, but covers more story than Halo 4. The gameplay is also far quicker and twitch-based than previous Halo ''games, allowing the player to interact with the environment far more realistically and in a way that is satisfying. As the second game in the Reclaimer Saga, John-117 does return as a protagonist, but he now shares the role with a new character named Jameson Locke. Armor abilities are also replaced with the new Spartan abilities. The game begins on Reach in 2552. With piano music playing in the background, Doctor Catherine Halsey traverses her facility. Finally, she looks at a smiling Cortana, before placing her in the armored matrix she will soon give to Noble Six. The game skips to 2558; a year after the events of ''Halo 4. ''Fireteam Osiris, lead by Spartan Locke, is deployed by the [[UNSC Infinity|UNSC ''Infinity]] onto Kamchatka to extract Doctor Halsey from Jul 'Mdama's Covenant Remnant because she has information on a series of Forerunner attacks on human colonies. Fighting their way to Halsey's location, they find out that the Prometheans have turned on the Covenant Remnant, further weakening Jul 'Mdama's leadership. Continuing to fight their way through Covenant and Promethean forces, Osiris finally arrive and save Halsey, finally taking out Jul 'Mdama in the process. Arriving back on Infinity, Halsey asks Lasky "how far has she gone," much to Osiris' confusion. Elsewhere, Blue Team, led by John-117, insert into the Covenant-held ONI research vessel Argent Moon ''to take it back. While fighting through the Covenant scavengers, John-117 experiences a vision of Cortana activating an enormous winged machine and telling him that "Meridian is next." Recovering from the vision, he and Blue Team continue through the ship. After a Covenant fleet arrives to secure the wreckage however, they decide it is safer to scuttle the ship and deny the scavengers their prize. Setting the reactor to overload, the team heads to the hangar in the hopes of using an experimental ONI prowler to escape. Before leaving, Lasky contacts John-117 and orders him to return to the ''Infinity, but he refuses to follow them, and Blue Team leave on the prowler towards Meridian. Back on Infinity, Halsey reveals that Cortana has somehow gained access to the Domain, a galaxy-spanning repository of Forerunner knowledge. Worried that Cortana is manipulating John-117, Osiris is officially tasked with the mission to bring Blue Team back, hoping to neutralize them with armor restraints. Arriving at Meridian, they descend down the space elevator and are contacted by Governor Sloan, who grudgingly accepts their presence in exchange for assistance in repelling Promethean invasion forces, who had recently begun an assault on the colony. Fighting alongside the colony's Liang Dortmund Corporation security forces, Osiris fend off the Prometheans long enough for the colonists to get to safety, discovering that "Governor" Sloan is actually a smart AI undergoing rampancy, and pick up clues that eventually lead them to Apogee. Sloan arranges a Pelican to get Osiris there, and once there they find Blue Team's prowler; however, Blue Team has already descended into the planet, seemingly without any opposition. Osiris follow, battling Promethean forces along the way. They eventually come across a powerful Promethean named Warden Eternal, who says he is sworn to "protect Cortana." They battle him and manage to defeat him, and proceed further into the planet in pursuit of Blue Team. They eventually come across a Guardian, as well as Blue Team. Osiris pursues Blue Team through a set of portals, until finally cornering them just beneath the Guardian. Locke pleads with John-117 to stand down, but he refuses, as do Blue Team. Locke engages John-117 in hand-to-hand combat, hoping to disable him with an armor restriant, but this plan backfires, and John-117 defeats him, seizing the armor restraint and using it on Locke instead. Blue Team escape, using a slipspace portal to board the Guardian as it begins to activate, rising up to the surface. Osiris hastily escape the cavern, finding a slipspace portal to the surface. Upon reaching the suface, Osiris witness the Guardian continuing to ascend, devastating Meridian with deadly EMP shockwaves; to their surprise however, the colony seems to already be evacuating. Sloan reveals that Cortana had contacted him earlier to warn him about the Guardian's activation, giving him enough time to evacuate as many people as he could. He then goes on to say that he plans to join her in her "new dawn," where he then proceeds to disappear during the evacuation. Osiris ascend the space elevator to reach their Pelican, with the Guardian's shockwaves increasing in intensity. Finally, Osiris narrowly escape in their Pelican as the space elevator falls apart, and the Guardian enters slipspace. Later, aboard the Infinity, Halsey deduces that another dormant Guardian lies beneath the surface of Sunaion on Sanghelios. Moreover, Roland figures out that the distinctive sound the Guardian makes during its activation was actually a set of slipspace coordinates, and that if they can feed it into the Sanghelios Guardian it may allow them to follow Blue Team to their destination. Lasky is optimistic that Osiris can use the Guardian to get to Blue Team, but is reluctant to get the UNSC involved in the Sangheili civil war. Meanwhile, Blue Team's Guardian arrives on a lush Forerunner artificial planet called Genesis, and note the arrival and presence of other Guardians as well. They are led to a console by a familiar signal from their training, and encounter ragtag Covenant survivors dragged through in the wake of multiple Guardians' slipspace drives, who believe that the planet was promised by the Prophets. They encounter the Warden Eternal, who reveals he is capable of creating new bodies for himself. As Blue Team proceed closer to Cortana's location, the Warden questions John-117's loyalty to her, wondering what he intends to do with her. When John-117 announces he intends to take her home, the Warden declares him a threat to Cortana's goal, and he sends Promethean forces to kill Blue Team. After defeating the Warden and his forces, they are contacted by Cortana who explains that she arrived on Genesis via the wreckage of the Didact's ship after it was dragged through slipspace, and that her rampancy was cured by accessing the Domain. She leads Blue Team across the planet, towards the access point of the Domain itself. Meanwhile, the UNSC prepare to insert Osiris onto Sanghelios with an escort from the Swords of Sanghelios. Inserting near Sunaion, they learn that the Covenant Remnant has launched a last ditch effort to kill Thel 'Vadam and reverse its recent misfortunes. Osiris fight their way to the Elder Council Chamber, hoping that Thel 'Vadam can help them fight their way to the Guardian beneath Sunaion, which lies in Covenant hands. They arrive in time to evacuate Thel 'Vadam in a Phantom to a Swords of Sanghelios camp, where they make plans for a counterattack on Sunaion. During a tense moment between Thel 'Vadam and Locke (as Locke was hired in the past to assassinate Thel 'Vadam, and failed), Cortana makes her presence on the planet known. Halsey figures out that if they can acquire a Constructor Sentinel from one of the Forerunner ruins scattered across the planet, they can use it to activate the Guardian. Osiris are redeployed to recover one from a nearby Forerunner facility, fighting their way through Prometheans and Covenant while air support from the Swords of Sanghelios provides assistance, who are later forced to engage a Kraken. The Kraken positions itself between Osiris and the constructor's location, forcing the Spartan fireteam to board it. Once aboard, they destroy the Kraken's power core, and escape just before the Kraken plummets into the abyss. They finally recover the constructor and deliver to Thel 'Vadam's base, where Halsey reprograms it to find the Guardian. The constructor immediately sets about its task, and Thel 'Vadam gives a speech as he leads his forces in a massive assault against Sunaion to destroy the Covenant once and for all. Osiris fight their way through, assisting the Arbiter's warriors, but their priority is to reach the Guardian above all else. The Warden appears and leads Promethean forces into Sunaion to stop Osiris, but is again defeated. As the Sunaion Guardian activates, it charges its slipspace drive, creating similiar EMP pulses as those on Meridian, devastating Sunaion and the remaining Covenant forces. Commander Palmer and Halsey use a Pelican to get Osiris onto the Guardian just as it enters slipspace, but the Pelican suffers crippling damage, and crashes. The Arbiter watches the Guardian leave, commanding his forces to finish off the Covenant stragglers. Later, the Guardian arrives on Genesis, and Osiris manage to safely disembark onto the planet's surface. They attempt to contact John-117, only to be contacted by the planet's original monitor, 031 Exuberant Witness. Exuberant is horrified that the Warden and Cortana have locked her out of all systems, and explains to them Cortana's plan; she believes AI, the "Created", are the true reclaimers of the Mantle, and that she plans to "enforce the peace" on the galaxy by deploying Guardians all over the galaxy as a police force; those who refuse the peace would be ruthlessly destroyed, as a single Guardian is capable of wiping out an entire star system. She assists Osiris as they fight their way through Genesis, fighting disorganized Covenant and Prometheans along the way towards the Gateway, a link to the Domain, noting that Cortana has actually been leading Blue Team in circles to buy herself some time. Osiris and Exuberant fight through more Promethean forces, who are buying Cortana even more time to bring the Domain's systems online. Osiris meet up with Blue Team, with Locke offering to help them stop Cortana. Before they can do anything however, Cortana translocates Blue Team away. Reappearing in a different location, Blue Team is once again confronted by the Warden, who tries to convince Cortana that they are a threat to her plan. Cortana does not believe him however, and destroys his latest body to protect Blue Team. John-117 however reveals that he is aware of Cortana's attempts to manipulate them, and that he has been suspicious of her ever since arriving on Genesis, asking her about the casualities the Guardians have been inflicting. As Promethean forces renew their attacks against Blue Team, Kelly-087 surmizes that Cortana is deliberately allowing the Warden his numerous counterattacks to give herself more time. Warden states that while the Librarian had planned and prepared humanity to take up the mantle, the task of reclamation was that of the Created to uphold. John-117 was never the reclaimer - Cortana was. He repeatedly urges Cortana to see Blue Team as a threat as he finally engages the team in multiple bodies simultaneously. Cortana tells him that if he trusts her to use the Domain, then he should trust her when she puts her own trust in Blue Team, revealing that she is simply using them for her own ends. Finally defeating the Warden, Blue Team confront Cortana, where the Warden tries to overwhelm them with dozens of his bodies, but Cortana stops him. Cortana approaches them, now reborn and in a new body. John-117 pleads with her to come home, but Cortana refuses, and immobilizes Blue Team before imprisoning them in a Forerunner Cryptum, where she plans to take them with her when she goes to police the galaxy. Osiris follows the Cryptum, baring witness as the Guardians take formation and prepare to leave to begin their invasion; they also watch as hundreds of AIs, including Sloan, pledge allegiance to Cortana, arriving over Genesis to join her new armada. As Osiris tries to stop the Cryptum from departing with Cortana, she attempts to use their individual histories to demoralize them, and accuses them of being pale imitations of "her" Spartans. Locke retorts that Halsey trusts them enough to bring Blue Team back - Cortana says that she will have her punishment soon enough. Exuberant continues to help Osiris progress, battling through Promethean forces. Cortana announces that she plans to place Blue Team in stasis for ten thousand years, giving herself time to consolidate her grip on the galaxy, as she begins to leave Genesis on her Guardian; all around them, Guardians enter slipspace, heading towards their designated attack sites. Cortana begins to broadcast across the entire galaxy, promising peace under her benevolent rule - and warning those who resist will be conquered through force. Cortana tries to take the Cryptum with her as her Guardian enters slipspace, but discovers to her horror that Osiris has restored control of Genesis back to Exuberant, who quickly seizes the Cryptum from Cortana's grasp and pulls it away; Cortana is helpless to stop her as her Guardian disappears into slipspace, taking Cortana with her as she screams out John-117's name. Afterwards, Blue Team is finally released from their prison and reunited with Osiris. John-117 asks where Cortana is, and Locke merely responds with "she's gone, sir." Cortana, her AIs and her Guardians begin to shutting down UNSC control across human space, attacking entire colonies with massive EMP blasts to disable them and leave them defenseless. She tracks down Infinity, but Lasky orders an emergency slipspace jump, and manages to escape Cortana's grasp. Lasky declares his intention to find a way to stop Cortana, and sets a course for Sanghelios. On Sanghelios, Thel 'Vadam, Palmer and Halsey watch as a Pelican lands, and Osiris and Blue Team are reunited with them. Halsey is reunited with John-117 and her spartans. In the Legendary ending after the credits, a lush, green planet can be seen, with a Halo ring in orbit. Cortana is heard humming a tune as the scene fades to black. Campaign On average, a player will take 7 hours and 48 minutes and 11 hours and 15 minutes if played leisurely to complete Halo 5 Guardians' campaign. There are a total of fifteen levels, three of which are intermission segments, and another three of which feature John-117 as a playable character. The story details John-117 going AWOL, Locke's hunt for him and the uncovered truth of Cortana being alive and her plans for the galaxy at large. Like previous games, cutscenes are rendered using the game's in-game graphics engine. The fifteen levels of the game: *Osiris : "Fireteam Osiris is dispatched to recover the UNSC's most wanted criminal: Doctor Catherine Elizabath Halsey." *Blue Team : "The Master Chief is reunited with his Spartan II Blue Team for a routine investigation of the lost ONI research station Argent Moon." *Glassed : "Osiris must pursue Blue Team to a glassed world beyond UNSC juristiction." *Meridian Station : "Osiris learns that Meridian Station harbors many secrets." *Unconfirmed : "Osiris tracks Blue Team deep below the surface of Meridian." *Evacuation : "Osiris are separated from Blue Team and must race to catch up." *Reunion : "Blue Team arrive at the Forerunner world Genesis, where they discover the true reason for the Guardian's activation." *Swords of Sanghelios : "When evidence reveals the Master Chief is in danger, Fireteam Osiris' mission changes from retrieval to rescue." *Alliance : "Osiris joins forces with the Swords of Sanghelios." *Enemy Lines : "In order to activate the Guardian, Osiris must track down a Forerunner Constructor." *Before the Storm : "Osiris and the Swords of Sanghelios prepare for a final battle with the Covenant." *Battle of Sunaion : "Osiris races to reach the Guardian before it leaves Sanghelios." *Genesis : "Osiris arrives on Genesis, where they meet a new ally in their battle." *The Breaking : "The Master Chief and his team face their greatest threat, and his hardest choice as the true power of Genesis is revealed." *Guardians : "As Blue Team's lives hang in the balance, Osiris must save them and stop the Guardians." Campaign Characters Major Characters UNSC *John-117 *Kelly-087 *Linda-058 *Frederic-104 *Jameson Locke *Edward Buck *Olympia Vale *Holly Tanaka *Thomas Lasky *Sarah Palmer *Catherine Halsey *Roland Swords of Sanghelios *Thel 'Vadam Forerunner *031 Exuberant Witness The Created *Cortana *Warden Eternal Minor Characters UNSC *Brandon Pemberson *Rooker *Veronica Dare Liang Dortmund Corporation *Joyce Leblanc *Matt Riley *Brandon Pemberson *Micah Durbec *Michelle Rivera *Philip Mistral *Priya Singh *William Khaleed Covenant Remnant *Jul 'Mdama *Kibbib Yany Forerunner *First-Light-Weaves-Living-Song (Mentioned only) *Unidentified Builder *Shadow-of-Sundered-Star (Mentioned only) Swords of Sanghelios *Dimkee Hotay *Mahkee 'Chava The Created *Cleo *Cromwell *Sloan *Jiang *Kue Ching *Louise *Lychus *Sonduk Warzone Characters Forerunner *Captain Hestro *Lochagos *Endurance-of-Will *Strategos *Warden Eternal Covenant Remnant *Baron 'Sraom *Tankmaster Rok *Captain Wamik *Pilot 'Dalamen *Lord Viratus *Re'gish Wamik *Rok Features Summary '' Halo 5 Guardians is once again a change in pace from its predecessors, sporting many differences and upgrades from ''Halo 4. The gameplay itself is far more similiar to Halo: Combat Evolved and'' Halo 2, while a new mechanic called "Spartan Abilities" allows for interaction with the environment, giving the player the ability to traverse the terrain more efficiently, as well as deal with enemies far more effectively. Gameplay is also far more tactical, giving the player less linear routes like in previous games, and instead providing multiple options to approach a problem, whether it be stealth, close combat, sniping or guns blazing. The campaign is different in that while John-117 is present as a playable protagonist, he is only playable for three levels, with the other twelve levels featuring Locke as the playable character. It is also the first game in the franchise to feature intermission segments; there are three of these types of levels in the game, and these segments feature no combat or objectives whatsoever; the player simply moves around and listens to character dialogue. As for multiplayer, 343 once again established online matches as canon, stating that they are tactical simulations called War Games. However, in ''Halo 5 Guardians, multiplayer has been renamed Arena on the main menu. Spartan Ops does not make a return, and has instead been replaced with a competitive battle mode called Warzone. *'Storyline Execution': Halo 5 ''differs from the other games in the franchise as it focuses on a more fast-paced story compared to previous games. Unlike in ''Halo 4, where John-117 was the primary protagonist, Locke shares the role with him in the game. The first few levels of the game focus on John-117 going AWOL and Locke hunting him down, but the last arc of the game focuses on Cortana, the Guardians and the Reclamation. Because of the fast paced story, there is less room for character development, and much of the game is setting the stage of the next game, Halo 6. Halo 5 ''is also the first ''Halo ''title to place a protagonist (Cortana) as a new antagonist. *'Vehicular Incorporation': As with all first-person ''Halo ''games, vehicle implementation involves third-person view when driving said vehicle. There is also a new range of Covenant and UNSC vehicles introduced in the game, along with returning vehicles from previous games, as well as ''Halo 4. *'Weapon System': As with all first-person Halo ''games, weapon implementation involves first-person view when using weapons, with the exception of plasma cannons, hardlight turrets and heavy machine gun, in which case the player is switched into third-person, as is the case with ''Halo ''games since ''Halo 2. These cannons can also be ripped off their stands, as is the case with Halo ''games since ''Halo 3. *'Artificial Intelligence': AI in the game is almost identical to that found in Halo 4. They act largely in the same fashion, using similiar tactics and reacting to the player similiarly. The only noted difference is that the Covenant all speak in English again, as opposed to Halo 4, where they each spoke their own individual languages. Aside from a few new Promethean types, the AI is largely the same, and even the new AI acts in a similiar way. Movement in Halo 5 ''is still relatively simple despite its new gameplay mechanics, and follows the same basic principles of previous first-person ''Halo ''titles. The player can move backwards and forwards, left and right. They can look up and down, side to side, or in circles. On the Xbox One, this is done through the use of the analogue sticks (left stick to move, right stick to look). Also, like ''Halo 4, Halo 5 ''does not have a fall damage system, which means jumping from any height to land (with the exception of kill barriers) will not deal any damage to the player. Health System The ''Halo 5 health system, despite being very similiar to Halo 4 and Halo 3, possesses more in common with Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo Reach. Despite possessing a basic shield bar at the top middle part of the screen, unlike in Halo 4 or Halo 3, Halo 5 has a health bar directly beneath the shield bar, just like in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo Reach. Design wise, they are different. Instead of individual boxes representing the health, the health bar looks more like the shield bar, and will drain in the exact same fashion. Also different in Halo 5's health system is that picking up health packs is not required to bring back health; health packs are not present in the game whatsoever, and health simply regenerates just like the shields do; however, if health is down along with the shields, health will regenerate first, then the shields. '' Also different is that Locke's and John-117's health system is artistically different on their respective HUDs. John-117's shield bar is exactly like that found in ''Halo 4, and the health bar looks almost identical to that. Locke's shield bar however is curved upwards at both ends, sloping up diagonally on the left and right sides; the health bar is the same, although considerably smaller in comparison; the shield bar is also bright white, while the health bar is a deeper blue. Also, when a shield goes down, it does not make the iconic "beep" sound when recharging, instead making a much more electronic sound. Unlike in previous games, when a player loses all shields and health, they do not die; they enter a disabled state, which will last for a certain period time; during this time, the player must summon one of their squadmates to come and revive them. Once nearby, a squadmate will take a few moments and, if uninterrupted, will revive you with restored health and shields. If they do not get to you in time or fail to revive you quickly enough, you will die and, as usual, restart at the last checkpoint. Difficulty The four difficulty levels from the previous games return, and are largely unchanged. There are four difficulties in Halo 5 Guardians: *Easy : "Casually operate with impunity and slaughter foes with ease. Recommended for players new to Halo." *Normal : "Hordes of enemy forces converge to destroy you. Show no mercy. Recommended for players with first person shooter experience." *Heroic : "Formidable opposition will test your resolve. Skilled, tactical play required. Recommended for veteran Halo players." *Legendary : "Death around every corner. Reload often." Enemies AI in Halo 5 Guardians ''is almost entirely unchanged from ''Halo 4, with only a few, barely noticable tweaks to improve their intelligence. The Prometheans return once more with largely the same abilities, such as teleportation, spawning enemies or stopping incoming grenades. The Covenant are almost exactly the same in terms of battle finesse, using similiar tactics and behaviour from their predecessors in Halo 4. Just as was introduced in Halo Reach, AI can hijack vehicles; something many Prometheans will take advantage of often. Two factions of enemies are encountered in the game: *''' The Covenant Remnant': Just like in ''Halo 4, the Covenant no longer play the significant role they used to in previous games. In Halo 5, their role is further dumbed down, overshadowed almost entirely by the Prometheans; a matter of fact, they aren't even a main antagonistic force, with most Covenant forces only being fought because Osiris or Blue Team run into them; by the end of the game, the Covenant Remnant are almost entirely wiped out. The Covenant Remnant appear in both campaign and Warzone, and they only appear in the campaign levels Osiris, Blue Team, Reunion, Swords of Sanghelios, Enemy Lines, Battle of Sunaion, Genesis and Guardians. Once again, Halo 5 ''retains the original four races: Grunts, Jackals, Elites and Hunters. The Remnant possesses much of the same arsenal it had from ''Halo 4, but with each vehicle and weapon looking to have been upgraded to a newer and improved armament. *''' The Prometheans': Returning from ''Halo 4, the Prometheans are highly-advanced AI constructs developed from the composed remains of humans by the Composer. Unlike in Halo 4 ''however, they are not led by the Ur-Didact, and are instead led by Cortana and the Warden Eternal. They first appear in the level Osiris, and then appear in the levels Glassed, Unconfirmed, Evacuation, Reunion, Enemy Lines, Battle of Sunaion, Genesis, The Breaking and Guardians. Returning from the previous game are the three enemy types: crawlers, watchers and knights. The knights from ''Halo 4 ''have been released with a more advanced version of the knight in ''Halo 4, which is slower in movement and lacks a teleportation ability, but does have much tougher armor and better weapons. A new enemy type introduced is the soldier, which has the knight's teleportation, but will use it almost constantly. The Prometheans now also have a vehicle called the Phaeton; a hovering gunship. Like Halo 4, the Prometheans are the most difficult enemies in the game. Allies Unlike the enemy AI, the allied AI help you in missions, fighting beside you and giving fire support. Although the AI isn't the most intelligent (most of their actions are scripted), it still has its uses, especially on higher difficulties as a distraction or reinforcement. Halo 5 ''is also the first ever ''Halo ''game to not feature any UNSC allies of any description (Spartan squadmates not being counted). *' Liang Dortmund Corporation Security Forces': Temporarily, it can be argued that the security forces of Liang Dortmund serve as the in-game replacement for UNSC Marines, as they act in a similiar manner, as well as use the same weapons and vehicles that UNSC troops would otherwise use in their place. They only appear on the levels Glassed, Unconfirmed and Evacuation, but during that period will aid you against Promethean enemies; they also appear in non-combat roles in the intermission level Meridian Station. Due to their similiar behaviour to UNSC marines, they will use the same weapons and vehicles, as well as possess the same amount of health and use the same tactics. They are essentially useless against Prometheans however, and it is more useful in the long run to rely on your squadmates. They can also drive vehicles, but despite advances in AI, they are still considered "poor drivers." *' Swords of Sanghelios': Returning as allies from ''Halo 3 ''are the Covenant Separatists, otherwise known as the Swords of Sanghelios. By the events of ''Halo 5, the Swords of Sanghelios are embroiled in a desperate civil war with the Covenant Remnant over Thel 'Vadam's chosen allegiance to humanity, as well as Thel 'Vadam's goal to completely annihilate the Covenant. In the level Swords of Sanghelios, the UNSC allies with them once more to destroy the Covenant in Sunaion. Afterwards, their war is presumably over, as the Covenant is defeated, leaving no reason for the civil war to continue. The Swords of Sanghelios first appear in the level of the same name, and then appear in Enemy Lines and Battle of Sunaion; they also appear in a non-combat role in the intermission segments Alliance and Before the Storm. In combat, they are comprised of Elites, but in the intermission segments, there is evidence of Grunts as well. Weapons '' Halo 5 features many new weapons, but many of them are either from ''Halo 4 ''or ones already previously introduced in the series. Many of the Covenant weapons have gone through graphical and physical changes, featuring different reload animations as well. The introduction of ADS (Aim Down the Sights) into the gameplay means that each weapon has a unique scope (with the exception of obvious melee weapons, who don't possess a zoom function). Many weapons sound different, while others also operate differently. Like in ''Halo 4, the player can put weapon skins on their weapons in multiplayer, and the game has also introduced a new feature that includes up to three versions of each weapon, each one more effective than the last; some of these are in campaign, but most of them must be unlocked in Arena and Warzone. The introduction of the REQ System also makes it so that these new variants can only be unlocked through REQ cards, each one possessing different amounts of rarity based on their usefulness and firepower. Halo 5 ''is the second first-person ''Halo ''game to not have the plasma rifle, effectively replacing it with the storm rifle. Dual-wielding has still not returned, even amongst enemies and allies. However, the ability to tear turrets off their stands and use them is still possible, and the 'overheat' system is still present. The 'assassination animation' feature that was introduced in ''Halo Reach, with even more animations added ontop of the new ones added in Halo 4, but with the combat knife still used. These animations will initiate when the melee button is held down whilst behind your enemy or beside them. You will enter third-person and be able to view as a certain animation occurs where you kill the player; assassination animations also guarantee an instant kill, and cannot be escaped once initiated unless another player either kills the intended target, or the one performing the assassination before the knife impacts the player's body. There are different assassination moves, all of which activate according to which direction you attack from (from the side, sprinting, from above, from below, etc.). UNSC Usable *Asymmetric Recoilless Carbine-920 **Whiplash **Arclight *BR55 Service Rifle (Introduced in update) (Arena, Forge and Warzone only). *BR85N Service Rifle **Longshot **Sentinel *M20/Personal Defense Weapon *M343A2 Minigun **ONI Chaingun Turret *M395B Designated Marksman Rifle **Recon **Sentinel *M555 Electromagnetic Launcher **ONI Gauss Turret *Multiple Launch Rocket System-1 Hydra Gyroc Launcher **Typhon **Echidna *M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon (Arena, Forge and Warzone only). **SPNKR EM **SPNKR EX **SPNKR PRIME *M45D Tactical Shotgun **Lawgiver **Blaze of Glory **Oathsworn *M57 Pilum Assault Weapon **Ad Victoriam **High Five *M6D Personal Defense Weapon System (Introduced in update) (Arena, Forge and Warzone only). *M6H2 Personal Defense Weapon System **Whispered Truth *M6E Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle **Endgame **Selene's Lance *M739 Light Machine Gun **Appetite for Destruction **The Answer *M80 Multiple Launch Rocket System (Arena, Forge and Warzone only). **ONI Rocket Turret *MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System **Recon **Longshot *Sniper Rifle System 99-Series 5 Anti-Materiel **End of the Line **Arrow of Time **Nornfang *M655 Heavy Machine Gun/Anti-Materiel *M5920 Surface-to-Ground Missile Launcher/Anti-Materiel *M990 Electrothermal-Chemical Smoothbore Cannon *M460 Automatic Grenade Launcher *M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Fragmentation Grenade Unusable *GAU/53 Multi-Barrel Heavy Rotary Cannon *M6086 ST/Medusa Missile *M1075 AWS/AC 35mm Machine-Linked Autocannon Covenant Remnant Usable *Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword **Ravening Silver **Vorpal Talon **Prophet's Bane *Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer (Introduced in update) (Arena, Forge and Warzone only). **Corpse Maker **Grinder **Tartarus' Gavel *Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle/Jiralhanae Variant (Introduced in update) (Arena, Forge and Warzone only). *Type-27 Special Application Sniper Rifle **Sword of the Faithful **Krith's Left Hand *Type-53 Plasma Bolt Launcher **Scourge of Fire **White Scar *Type-54 Directed Energy Pistol **Spitfire **Void's Tear *Type-55 Directed Energy Rifle/Advanced **Fury **Blissful Slumber *Type-56 Guided Munitions Launcher **Hailstorm **Talon of the Lost *Type-57B Carbine **Rain of Oblivion **Blood of Suban *Type-58 Light Anti-Armor Weapon **Light of Urs **Pool of Radiance *Type-58 Directed Energy Support Weapon *Variant Class-2 Energy Weapon System *Heavy Plasma Mortar *Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade *Type-26 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun *Type-26 Anti-Vehicle Stationary Gun Unusable *Heavy Plasma Cannon *Assault Cannon *Type-56 PEW/M Forerunner Usable *Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol/Exotic **Closed Fist **Open Hand *Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon **Song of Peace **Razor's Edge *Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator **Loathsome Thing **Didact's Signet *Z-250 Directed Energy Engagement Weapon **Barbed Lance **Dying Star *Weapon/Anti-Materiel Z-390 High-Explosive Munitions Rifle **River of Light **Heartseeker *Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle **Retina of the Mind's Eye **Twin Jewels of Maethrillian *Z-400 Pursuit Disruption Grid Generator *Z-520 Encounter-Mitigation System Unusable *Z-510 Directed Energy Focus Weapon *Z-8060 High Impact Particle Weapon *Hardlight Blade Vehicles Vehicles, just like the weapons of the game, do not feature many new additions, although the one's that are present are either graphically or physically improved or upgraded, and in some cases have either been downgraded or made more powerful; also, despite there not being many, there are new vehicles, including a single vehicle for the Prometheans. Many vehicles from previous installments reappear, including ones introduced in Halo 4. Like all Halo ''games after ''Halo: Combat Evolved, vehicles retain their destructibility, with the exceptance of some for gameplay purposes. Unlike Halo 4, the Spirit dropship returns. Halo 5 ''is also the second main ''Halo ''game since 343 took control to not feature Scarabs. Also, like the weapons, each vehicle contains 5-6 variants each, each one being significantly improved over the original in different aspects like speed, firepower, armor, etc. UNSC Usable *HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Armor Defense System **CORP Mantis **Tundra Mantis **Woodland Mantis **Urban Mantis **ONI Mantis **Hannibal Mantis *M12B Force Application Vehicle **CORP Scout Warthog **ONI Scout Warthog **Urban Scout Warthog **Tundra Scout Warthog **Woodland Scout Warthog *M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle **CORP Warthog **ONI Warthog **Urban Warthog **Tundra Warthog **Woodland Warthog *M12G1 Light Anti-Armor Vehicle **CORP Gauss Warthog **ONI Gauss Warthog **Urban Gauss Warthog **Tundra Gauss Warthog **Woodland Gauss Warthog * M12R Light Anti-Aircraft Vehicle **CORP Rocket Warthog **ONI Rocket Warthog **Urban Rocket Warthog **Tundra Rocket Warthog **Woodland Rocket Warthog *M290 All-Terrain Vehicle **CORP Mongoose **ONI Mongoose **Urban Mongoose **Tundra Mongoose **Woodland Mongoose *M290-M All-Terrain Vehicle **CORP Gungoose **ONI Gungoose **Urban Gungoose **Tundra Gungoose **Woodland Gungoose *M820 Main Battle Tank **CORP Scorpion **Tundra Scorpion **Woodland Scorpion **Urban Scorpion **ONI Scorpion **Hannibal Scorpion *UH-144 Falcon (Unconfirmed. Rumoured to be coming in new update). Unusable *D79H-TC Pelican *F-41 Exoatmospheric Multirole Strike Fighter Covenant Remnant Usable *Type-54 Rapid Assault Vehicle **Sword Ghost **Ultra Ghost *Type-54 Ground Support Aircraft **Sword Banshee **Ultra Banshee *Type-58 Light Assault Gun Carriage **Sword Wraith **Ultra Wraith Unusable *Type-55 Ultra-Heavy Siege Tower *Type-56 Ground Support/Ultra Heavy Deployment Platform *Type-57 Troop Carrier *Type-57 Troop Carrier/Dropship *Type-31 Exoatmospheric Multi-Role Fighter Forerunner Usable *Z-1800 Exoatmospheric Multirole Fighter Powerups Powerups can be found in Arena and Warzone. There are a total of two powerups in ''Halo 5 Guardians ''(with the Custom Powerup no longer present), and unlike previous titles, they cannot be placed in Forge. The only way to acquire powerups is through the REQ system by acquiring REQ cards for the necessary powerups; these cards can be bought and used in Arena, as well as Warzone. Each ability enhances the player abilities. The two powerups are: *'Active Camouflage': Drastically reduces the player's visibility and makes them invisible; this can be found in multiplayer. This effect lasts for a total of 45 seconds. This effect is made null and void when the player is: carrying a skull, carrying a flag, hit by weapons fire, fires their weapon or when time runs out. *'Overshield': Adds an additional two layers of shielding. When it is active, your shield bar turns from blue to gold, and your normal shields do not take damage. Unlike Active Camo, it does not deplete over time, and only depletes once both layers have been removed by damage. However during multiplayer, it depletes over time. During this time, you can take direct hits from explosive ordinance. The player is essentially invincible to all kinds of damage, and the overshield can only be overriden by a plasma pistol overcharge bolt, or by assassination. Spartan Abilities New to ''Halo 5 ''and replacing armor abilities are the new mechanics called spartan abilities. Like armor abilities, they provide the player unique abilities that give them a boost in a certain area, whether it be a melee attack or speed. Unlike armor abilities however, spartan abilities are mapped to the controller and the player by default, and are not something that can be picked up. Also unlike armor abilities, spartan abilities can be used repeititively and constantly without ever running out, but they do require a recharge between each use, although this recharge is not measured by a counter like in armor abilities. Armor abilities served as "defensive technology" to protect the player from threats. Spartan abilities are largely used offensively, with some abilities only serving to aid the player in traversing an environment, while others allow the player to use quick, devastating melee attacks. All spartan abilities are available to a player immediately; they do not need to be unlocked, and they do not need to be acquired one at a time. They are found in campaign, Arena, Custom Games, Forge and Warzone. Some Spartan Abilities have requirements for activation. For example, ground pound requires the player to be a certain altitude above ground, and charge and slide requires the player to gain enough momentum by sprinting. *Thruster Pack *Ground Pound *Clamber *Sprint *Charge *Slide *Smart Scope Custom Games ]] Returning from ''Halo 3, Halo Reach ''and ''Halo 4 ''is Custom Games. Just as its previous incarnations, it is a seperate lobby meant to host private games between friends or other people in the gaming community. When a player is done editing a map in Forge, they can then open up the game in Custom Games, and play on the map using whatever gametypes are compatible or modified to be used on the edited map. Just like previous ''Halo ''games, you can use the Custom Games options to create a subtype of the selected gametype, effectively allowing the player to create their own gametypes and use them on edited maps, or pre-designed maps constructed by 343. This option allows the fanbase the ability to manipulate ''Halo ''and play it how they want to play it. Through this, you can decide if you want vehicles/weapons to be present, or equipment to vanish, or what gametype you will play on that map. And when finished, you can invite your friends to play it with you, with a total of twelve being allowed during in-game play. Not much has changed for Custom Games from ''Halo 4. Early on after Halo 4's release, there was a lack of a File Share system, but it was later added; in Halo 5, File Share is present on release, allowing players to upload their content online for the community to download and play around with. Forge Also returning from Halo 4 ''is the Forge mode introduced in ''Halo 3. Forge, simplified, is an object manipulation device that allows the player the ability to load a pre-designed map and edit it by either deleting objects, adding them or moving them around. On some maps, this is limited, while others are designed to allow more larger manipulation and rearrangement. Like previous games, its use is limited to multiplayer maps, and cannot be used on maps used for campaign and Warzone modes. Forge was an idea inspired by Halo: Custom Edition and Halo 2 Vista Editing Kit, which eventually led to the creation of Forge in Halo 3. It was also inspired by the much more expansive Forge editing tool present in Bungie's previous game, Marathon. Unlike the functions it was inspired by, Forge was severely limited, and does not allow the freedom of the previous functions. However, as Forge has evolved over the course of the series, less restrictions are present and in Halo 5, Forge allows far more freedom than found in Halo Reach ''and ''Halo 4. Also returning from Halo Reach ''is the Forge mode introduced in ''Halo 3. Forge, simplified, is an object manipulation service that allows the player the ability to load a pre-designed map and edit it by either deleting objects, adding them or moving them around. On some maps, this is limited, while others are designed to allow more larger manipulation and rearrangement. Like previous games, its use is limited to multiplayer maps, and cannot be used on maps used for campaign and Spartan Ops modes. Forge was an idea inspired by Halo: Custom Edition and Halo 2 Vista Editing Kit, which eventually led to the creation of Forge in Halo 3. It was also inspired by the much more expansive Forge editing tool present in Bungie's previous game, Marathon. Unlike the functions it was inspired by, Forge is severely limited, and does not allow the freedom of the previous functions. Originally, Halo 3 ''possessed a very basic Forge mode, which was massively improved in ''Halo Reach, with players even dubbing it 'Forge 2.0.' In Halo 4, the Forge is once again improved, although not as massively, although fans still call it 'Forge 3.0.' Like previous games, basic parts of the map can be edited, but not parts that are programmed to be solid parts of the said map (For example, you cannot remove the buildings or the ground on Vortex, because it is coding that 343 has deliberately hard-locked to prevent corruption of the map in the event that the Forge editor could cause that). You can add, delete or move turrets, weapons, vehicles, crates, containers, and more. You can also add spawn points for when the map is loaded in Custom Games. New things can also be added, with new object features being introduced called 'active objects.' These are objects or buildings that have some aspect of them active (for example, a power core could have its central power source spinning). Teleporters have also made a return, mostly the same as they were in Halo Reach. ''You can also manipulate the properties of that object such as rotation, angle, etc. On some maps, you can add structural objects, such as buildings, walls, windows, etc, allowing you to create superstructures like you could in ''Reach. Just like before, when you enter Forge mode, you start off as your normal chosen character. To begin editing the map, you must enter 'Editor Mode.' To do this, simply press up on your D pad. When this happens, your player will turn into a Forerunner Monitor, much like 343 Guilty Spark. In this mode, and only in this mode, you will be able to add things, delete them, manipulate the map and all the other things the editor allows. While in this mode, you can fly, allowing you to reach normally unreachable areas, and making editing easier. Unlike in Reach ''however, you can no longer use a speed boost whilst in this mode, and neither can you zoom in. Unlike in ''Halo 3 ''and ''Halo Reach, when a player exits editor mode into player mode, momentum no longer carries into the change; previously, if the player is boosting or moving in editor mode and then exits back into player mode, the momentum continues, and the player will continue moving until they decellerate (if you are flying, the player will continue to fly until hitting the ground). In Halo 4, once you exit editor mode, the player simply remains in place (if in the air, they remain in place, but fall to the ground). Also, when switching back to player mode, the game must generate lighting before switching you back, meaning the transition between player and editor is no longer instantaneous. Also returning is the budget system, although it has been significantly increased from Halo Reach ''to allow the addition of more items, and uses the ''Reach ''system of having a restriction on the number of a certain item that can be placed on the map at one time. In ''Halo 4, most of the object manipulation features in Halo 3 ''and ''Halo Reach ''have returned, with 343's own improvements. Unfortunately, the precision movement feature (which allowed the player to make precision editing) has been removed, and has been substituted with the new magnet system. 'Magnets', if turned on, will cause objects to instantly align with each other once in range, and will stick together, making them hard to move. The player can turn the strength of this magnet from low to medium to high, which increases the strength of the magnet and decreases the range at which it takes effect. Fan response to this new feature is mixed, with some saying it makes Forge much faster and simpler, while others say it makes Forging needlessly annoying and hard. Another feature is the lock system. If activated, objects will become 'locked' in place, meaning that even if a player selects it, they will not be able to move the object until it is 'unlocked.' This has been seen as a welcome improvement as it fixes old problems of player's accidentally grabbing items they didn't want, moving it and ruining minutes/hours of work. Another new feature is that objects will become highlighted when players hover their cursor over them, allowing them to know which object they are about to select. Players can also 'duplicate' objects now, saving them the trouble of having to reopen the menu continuously just to spawn the same item. Gravity volumes and trait zones have also been added as new items, allowing players to manipulate physics or abilties within an area (for example, a player can emulate a space like environment but lowering the gravity in a certain area, like a door. So if a player goes through that door in Custom Games, the gravity will be reduced, and their jumping will cause them to float further than normal). Also, dynamic lighting has been added, meaning that when an object is placed, it will place its own shadow, making for a more realistic addition to the game. In ''Reach, all of the structural based items were Forerunner themed. Every single item from Reach ''that was originally Forerunner themed has returned in the game exactly as they were, except this time all the items are now UNSC themed. Also, 343 has added three new maps designed solely for Forge, much like the Forge World map in ''Reach, and the Foundry and Sandbox maps in ''Halo 3. ''Another additional Forge only map was added post release, which was a spiritual successor to Forge World. These three maps, individually, are not the same size as Forge World however; they are largely a quarter of the size. However, collectively, these maps are the same size. These maps are designed solely for Forge however, meaning that the budget on them is the biggest out of all the maps, and all items are available in them. For more information, see the official page on Forge.